Date: 21 September 2007 17:52

GOVERNMENT PRAISE FOR SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL TRAVEL STRATEGY

A new strategy aimed at encouraging pupils and their parents to adopt more 
sustainable ways of travelling to and from school has been singled out for 
praise by the Government.

The Sustainable School Travel Strategy - which identifies action to be taken 
over the period September 2007 to August 2012 - has been put together by 
Cambridgeshire County Council's Children and Young
People's Services.

Its aims are to:

* Improve the physical well-being of children and young people attending 
Cambridgeshire's schools by increasing the number walking and cycling to 
school
* Increase the use of buses
* Promote sustainable and more environmentally responsible modes of travel
* Make travel to school safer
* Actively support the development of key life skills, such as road safety.

In a letter to the County Council's Deputy Chief Executive, Schools Access 
Team Leader of the former DfES, John Britton, praised the strategy as an 
example of good practice.

Councillor Jill Tuck, Cambridgeshire County Council's Cabinet Member for 
Children and Young People's Services, said: "In Cambridgeshire we have a 
strong history of developing innovative approaches to reduce our dependency 
on the car for school transport. However, we cannot afford to be complacent.

"Locally we have both the considerable challenge and opportunity of planning 
for areas of significant population growth. We must ensure that the new 
developments planned for Cambridgeshire provide a model physical 
infrastructure for sustainable school transport.

"The Sustainable School Travel Strategy is our commitment to improving the 
health and well-being of young people by encouraging them to find more 
sustainable, long-term alternatives to travelling to and from school by 
car."

John Reynolds